Problem: Solve for $x$ : $(x + 1)^2 - 1 = 0$
Add $1$ to both sides so we can start isolating $x$ on the left: $ (x + 1)^2 = 1$ Take the square root of both sides to get rid of the exponent. $ \sqrt{(x + 1)^2} = \pm \sqrt{1}$ Be sure to consider both positive and negative $1$ , since squaring either one results in $1$ $ x + 1 = \pm 1$ Subtract $1$ from both sides to isolate $x$ on the left: $ x = -1 \pm 1$ Add and subtract $1$ to find the two possible solutions: $ x = 0 \text{or} x = -2$